Call for Promoting Unity Among Armed Forces

Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei underscored the need for increasing unity among various divisions of armed forces to counter Washington’s hostile measures against the country. 
The Leader made the statement in a meeting with army commanders in Tehran on Wednesday ahead of National Army Day, which is to be marked by large-scale countrywide military parades involving naval, ground and air forces on Thursday, the Leader’s website reported.   
Ayatollah Khamenei hailed army commanders’ solid support for the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps after the recent “reprehensible move” by the administration of US President Donald Trump to designate IRGC a “foreign terrorist organization”, stressing that “it is necessary to promote unity among the armed forces”. 
The Leader highlighted the significant role played by the Iranian armed forces in the campaign against terrorist groups in the region, including the self-styled Islamic State, and asked, “What would have been the situation in the region and in our neighboring countries and who would have come to power if the army and IRGC had not engaged in the fight against Daesh [an Arabic acronym of IS].” 
He noted that although the countries gripped by the rise of terrorist groups adopted measures, the role played by Iranian armed forces was crucial. 
Referring to the US administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign against the Islamic Republic and its intensified anti-Tehran rhetoric, he said US officials, whose country is afflicted by enormous domestic problems such as a national debt worth trillions of dollars, “talk nonsense to demoralize the Iranian people”.   
Ayatollah Khamenei praised the “effective and vital” participation of the armed forces, including the army, in efforts to provide aid to the people affected by the recent devastating floods across the country.